Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner suffered a broken nose on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks and was forced to exit the game, the team announced on Twitter.
Update: Myles Turner has a broken nose and will not return.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 31, 2018
Entering Monday, Turner was averaging 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from the 3-point line and 71.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Turner will possibly be fitted for a mask.
His injury is a big blow to Indiana, as the Pacers entered Monday with a record of 24-12, good for third place in the Eastern Conference standings. Veteran big man Kyle O'Quinn is Turner's backup at center.
O'Quinn is averaging 2.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest on the year and shooting 47.7 percent overall.
The injury to Turner could have been worse, so the Pacers should be relieved that it is just a broken nose. Turner will be in some pain for a few days since the doctors had to realign his nose. Playing with a mask will also take some time to get used to and plenty of players have shown a preference playing without it.
Turner signed a rookie scale extension with the Pacers in October worth $80 million. $72 million of the contract is guaranteed. The 22-year-old has career averages of 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
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